Permutation-lock.



E. L. DODSON & (3.1. AEBI.

PERMUTATION LOCK.

APPLICATION FILED 0cT.27. 1913.

Patented Aug. 17, 1915.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH CO-,W \SH1NOTON. 17.12

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EDWIN L. erson, or c nciNNAr-I, AND CHARLES J. near, or nonwoon, OHIO, ASSIGNORS 'ro. rnn RELIABLE SAFE; & LOCK COMPANY, or oovmerolv, KEN- TUCKY, A CORPORATION or KENTUCKY.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 1?, 1915..

Application filed October 27, 1913. Serial No. 797,395.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, EDWIN L. DoosoN and CHARLES J. AEBI, citizens of the United States, and residents, respectively, of Gin-f cinnati, county of Hamilton, and State of Ohio, and Norwood, in. said county and State, have invented certain new and use ful lmprovements 1n Permutat1on-Locks, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to permutationlocks for safe and vault doors and especially to those looking devices in which the tumbler actuating-spindle telescopically occu-v pies the same opening in the door as that occupied by the bolt-throwing spindle or shaft, there thus being but a singlehole in the door in which to actuate both tumbler and bolt mechanisms, and the invention has for its prime object the independent relation of the tumbler and bolt actuating through but'one hole .in the door, whereby the bolts can be thrown to either lock or unlock the door by turning the outer handle of the bolt-mechanism independent of the tumbler rotating and setting dial or knob and thus avoiding the necessity of operating the combination every time that occasion, however slight, requires the safe to be opened, especially in connection with the ordinary fireproof safe and vault.

Other features of the invention will be fully set out in detail in the following description of the accompanying drawings in which,

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of the lock, viewing it from the inner face of the door and with the back cap or plate removed, the bolt being shown in half-thrown plan showing fragments of the safe door and the stepped side-jamb, and bringin into clear view the dial or knob actuated tumbler devices, the independent bolt-throwing mechanism in the one hole in the door 'with said tumbler-actuator, the bolt, the

tumblers or permutation-wheel devices, the pivotal bar or dog (which latter is partly broken away), the tumbler-actuating stem or arbor, the tumbler hearing or supportingboss, the hollow bolt-spindle, and the inner tubing orhousing-cylinder for the said telescoping tumbler and bolt spindles in. the filled wall of the safe door; Fig. 4, a detail plan View of: the preferred form of pivotaldog used in connection with our device; Fig. 5, a detail front elevation of the dial-ring with the numbered dial or knob omitted and showing the bolt-throwing handle in the locking position, and, also, showing both the hollow bolt-spindle and the central dialstem in cross-section, the latter member in concentric relation within the bolt-spindle; Fig. 6, a transverse section of the inner. end of the said hollow bolt-spindle, showing the integral, notched cam-formation thereon that is used'in moving or throwing the bolt;

, and Fig. 7, a fragmentary longitudinal secshowing the said notched bolt-throwing cam-formation thereon.

In these views, 1 indicates the usual stepped side-portion of the door-jamb into which the side-bolts of the lock are shot or thrown in looking the door; 2, the stepped portion of the door engaging said sidejamb; 3, the front wall or plate of the hollow door; and 4:,the usual fire-proof filling in the said amb and door.

5 indicates the lock box or case having a protuberant cylinder or transverse hollow formation 6 that projects forwardly in the filled portion of the safe door and has lateral ears or lugs 7 that are adapted to receive fastening-rivets 8 to secure said cylinder at its fore end to the front wall or plate 3 of the door, as bestseen in Fig. 3).

9 indicates the dial ring or plate having the customary central opening therein for the inward passage of the tumbler-actuating arbor or stem, and suitably secured to the face of the front-plate 3 of the door by means of screws or the like engaging holes 9 therein.

The lock box or case has a vertical boltcontaining portion 10 and a horizontal, rear, lock-proper extension 11, the horizontal bolt-heads or locking-pins 12 being duly mounted at the opposite ends of the vertical 7 stepped door wall 2, as customary, and all as best seen in Fig. 1.

14 is the usual back cap or plate of the door, fitting and secured in place over the lock-box and the filling.

15 is the horizontal bolt-carrying bar of v the lock-proper, duly secured to the back wall of the lock-casing by means of a screw 16 that passes through a washer 17 and a horizontal slot 18, and turned to fasteningplace sufiicient, however, to permit the boltbar 15 to slide freely within the box.

19indicates a gravitating bar or dog pivota-lly attached at one end to the boss 20 on the lock-bar 15 by means of the screw 21 and having at its other end a pendent cross-bar or elongated transverse tooth 22 projecting in opposite directions laterally therefrom, (the dog itself being best shown in Fig. 4.)

23 isan upwardly-inclined rear formation or projection on the pivotal-dog 19, and 24 is an 'upwardlyprojecting lug or hook at the fore end of said dog (as best seen in Fig. 1), the purposes of both being shortly hereinafter referred to.

25 is a stub or downwardly-projecting lug provided on the underside of the upper or top wall of the rear-extension 11 of the box or casing 5, and 26 is a right-angled notch or shoulder made in the said upper wall of the box, (as best seen in Fig. 1). The said stub is adapted to the engagement of the said rear projection 23 and the said notch 26 is adapted to the engagement of fore lug or hook 24, as hereinafter more particularly referred to in the description of the operation of the parts of the device, and both forming important as well as essential features of the invention claimed herein.

27 indicates the usual numbered dial or knob having the horizontal central stem or arbor 28 that has screw-threaded connection therewith, and 29 is a duly notched driving wheel or disk having screw-threaded connection with the inner reduced end of said arbor 28, a screw-attached cap 30 being used over the outer hub-portion of the disk 29 to secure it in place on the arbor so that the latter can be rotated in either direction Without danger of accidental removal of the drive-disk 29. The dial or knob27 and the stem or arbor 28 engage the dial ring or plate 9, and a hollow spindle or tube 31 telescopically and freely engages the said arbor, both passing through and occupying but a single opening in the safe door leading from the outer plate 3 into the lock-box. Both the arbor 28 and hollow spindle 31 pass concentrically within the transverse cylinder or tube 6 that projects forwardly from the lock-' box, and the bore of said cylinder 6 is slightly greater in diameter than the diameter of the hollow bolt-spindle 31 so that the latter may turn or rotate freely therein. 7 32 is a cam-formation that is provided at the inner end of the hollow bolt-spindle 31 andhas a notch 33, (as best seenin Fig. 6).

34 is a hand-lever provided with an attaching-eye 35 that has screw-threaded engagement with the outer end of the hollow bolt-spindle 31, a pin 37 beingused to firmly hold said eye 35 in place on the hollow boltspindle free from turning thereon, (as best seen in Fig. 2). The said hand-lever 34 forms the bolt-throwing handle and hangs perpendicular when the safe door is locked,

but is adapted to be drawn or turned laterally toward the fore edge of the door in retracting the bolt, the distance traveled being limited'by the stop 38 providedby the raised rim or flange 39 along the outer edge of the dial-ring 9, (as best seen in Fig. 5). When the hand-lever 34 is in the position seen in Fig. 5one edge contacts with another stop 40 provided by said rim 39, the latter being cut away or spacedthe full distance of circular travel of the hand-lever 34 and coincident with .the full distance of travel or-movement of the bolt in fully looking or unlocking the safe door. The handlever can thus be swung from stop 40 to stop 38 in unlocking the'safe, its inner or body portion being'hidden or covered by the dialer-knob 27 but free to rotate or ride thereunder in either direction with its axis 31, and the handle proper projects beyond the lower edge of the dial and dial ring or plate, such dial being free to rotate over the surface of said dial ring'or plate entirely independent of the bolt-throwing lever 34, but with the spindles of both concentrically and telescopically occupying a single opening in the door that leads to the lock-box and the locking mechanism therein.

41 indicates a segmental cap or box having lateral, perforated ears or lugs 42' to receive screws 43 for fastening it to the inner face of the back plate or wall of the lockbox 5. This cap is provided with a rear hollow protuberance that is shouldered at 44 and has a tubular extension 45, the latter forming a bearing for the customary notched permutation tumblers .or wheels 46 and their separating rings or disks 47-that are of lesser diameter than the tumblers, also as customary. The series of tumblers and intermediate spacing rings or disks engage the said tubular extension 45, and the innermost tumbler contacts with the shouldered portion 44, as best seen in Fig. 3, the said spacing disks being held against turning on said extension 45 in the usual manner by having small radial, inwardly-disposed lugs or tongues thatengage a longitudinal groove cut in the face of the said extension 45. The segmental cap 41 houses the hub portion of the cam-formation 32 on the bolt'throwing spindle, the said cam-formation projecting above its upper lopped edge for due engagement with one end of the pendent cross-bar or transverse tooth 22 of the pivotal dog 19 in the operation of moving the bolt to lock or unlock the safe door.

The notch 33 in the cam-formation 32 is somewhat deeper than the customary notches of the permutation tumblers or wheels 46 so that when the latter and the driving wheel or disk 29 at the inner end of the dial stem or arbor 28 are stripped from the latter in a felonious or unlawful attempt to open the safe door the said pendent dog tooth will drop somewhat deeper than the depth of the said permutation-tumblers will permit and thereby allow the dog to gravitate lower on its pivot or bearing, so that, in turn, the rearward extension 23 on the dog may engage the detent stub or stop 25 and thus prevent the bolt from being retracted and the safe door opened. An additional safeguard is thus provided to prevent the bolt from being withdrawn away from lockingaction when the tumblers and their drivingmechanism have been removed from adjusting and looking position. It would thus make it quite immaterial whether the dial or knob and its stem or arbor, as well as the permutation-tumblers, are in place or not so far as the further ordinary picking of the lock to retract the bolt is concerned.

When the bolt has been shot forward into locking-engagement, the upwardly-disposed lug or hook 24 engages the right-angled notch or recess 26 in the lock-box, at which time the transverse tooth or bar 22 on the pivotal-dog rides free from engagement with the alined notches in the series of" tumblers 46 and the notch in the drivewheel 29 on the arbor 28.

The notch 33 in the cam-formation 32 is always in alinement with the notches of the tumblers and driving-wheel when they are alined, and, when the safe is locked, the handle 34 hangs or is disposed perpendicularly, but with the notch 33 arranged at an angle slightly away from the perpendicular and coincident with the position of the said notches in the tumblers and driving-wheel that are alined at an angle away, from the perpendicular too to suit the succeeding drop of the tooth 22 into place therein at the beginning of the short are stroke of the bolt thrower spindle 31.

This device is especially adapted for use in connection with the inexpensive fire-proof safes and vaults, imparting to them a somewhat burglar-proof feature, not, of course,

up to the expert stage or sphere where explosives and the best obtainable steel drills are used to open the doorin a most forcible manner. The rear cap or plate 14 ordinarily covers the lock and, also, aids in preventing the stripping of the driving-disk and permutation-tumblers from the dial stem or arbor 28. When the door is locked the handle or lever 34 is loose and hangs free to be swung to the right or left of the perpendicular without affecting the position of the locked bolt in the least, and not until the tumblers are placed in adjusted position or alinement with their drive-wheel can the hand-lever be coupled up with the boltthrower mechanism for opening the door.

We claim A permutation safe-locking device comprising a door having a lock-receptacle that is provided with a forwardly-protruding cylinder, a tubular bolt-actuating spindle concentrically-mounted within said cylinder and having an operating rock lever or handle, an upwardly-extending notched cam-formation integrally-provided on said spindle at its inner end, a series of notched permutation-tumblers mounted on a suitable bearing in the lock-receptacle, an arbor mounted within said tubular bolt-spindle and having a knob-dial at its outer end and a tumblerdriver at its inner end, a slide-bolt within said receptacle, a dog pivotally-mounted on said slide-bolt and having at its inner end an upward tail-extension and at its fore-end an upwardly-turned lug or hook-extension and a transverse tumbler-engaging lowerextension, a pendent safety stop formation on the upper horizontal-member of the lockreceptacle adapted to be engaged by the said upward tail-extension when said tumblers are dismantled, and a shoulder or notch in the upper fore-end of the lock-receptacle adjacent the bolt-member and adapted to be engaged by the said hook fore-end of the dog when the said tumblers are intact and the bolts shot forward into locking-position, and the said upwardly-extended notched cam-formation on the bolt-actuating spindle adapting the tumbler-actuating mechanism and the bolt-throwing mechanism to be mounted concentrically and operated separately and independently of each other in but a single opening made in the said door, all substantially as herein shown and described.

EDWIN L. DODSON. CHARLES J. AEBI. Witnesses:

JOHN ELIAS JONES, WILLIAM SCHUGHARDT.

Copies 01 this patent may be obtained for :five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

